No Man’s Sky

A small portion of the Internet has been on fire over the past couple of months, and only now are the flames dying down so we can see what’s lost and what’s been saved. Seldom has a new game received so much pre-release hype as No Man’s Sky, and seldom has a game received so much abuse on its release.

For those who are going No Man’s what here’s a brief recap. Tiny indie games studio Hello debut footage of a space-opera exploration game promising a near-infinite universe to explore with ‘ten quintillion’ planets. The footage – pure Chris Foss 70s cover paintings made digital Magic – and the proposition of being able to explore fully realised alien worlds no-one has seen before, makes the gaming world explode. Sony give the game the full 110% build up and for two years it’s the most anticipated game in development. In the weeks leading up to the delayed release word starts to spread that the game’s initial release may not contain all the features discussed during development.

So on release Reddit becomes the home of a hate-fest populated by videos of angry gamers comparing the pre-release feature list with the actual game features. First world problems to the max. Coupled with more usual early-adopter gripes such as bugs and crashes, this leads to the game being returned in unprecedented numbers for refunds – a development which in turns become a story.

Daughter and I shelled out in the first week for the PS4 version, so full disclosure I have no idea of the extent of the problems encountered by PC users. Hype, fury aside – what’s it actually like to play? I’m now about twenty hours in and have experienced most of the games aspects while still being absolutely nowhere near any kind of ending.

You start in a crashed starship on an alien world. Your first hours are spent savaging resources to repair your ship, survive, and get off world. Once you do, the full beauty and scale of the game become apparent. You can take your ship and go from planet to planet inside a system, then boot up the hyperdrive to go to another system entirely.

Planetside, your time is spent in activities that will be familiar to anyone who’s looked over their kids shoulders at Minecraft. Using a trusty tool you have to mine resources such as iron and plutonium from the planet’s surface. Each planet is full of different rocks, plants and animal life (all procedurally generated too – the Internet is full of ‘weirdest animals from NMS’, featuring chicken-deer-shark monstrosities). Logging these discoveries earns you cash. Alien ruins tells you more about the three races who populate the Galaxy, and trading posts enable you to sell the minerals and artefacts you happen across. Resources are needed for everything – from your suit to your ship to your mining tool. Meanwhile the planet could be full of acid rain, frozen cold or hellishly hot, or bathed in radiation. Predators, particularly at night, roam the wilds. Sound familiar? Minecraft (the mother of all indie game hits) is a key reference point.

Out in space you can travel from planet to planet, and check in at space stations with more aliens, more trading and the opportunity to buy sexier starships from fellow travellers. Pirates spaceships lurk ready to blast you out of existence, though after respawning you can return to collect your preciously harvested goodies at the spot you died at. Don’t like your spaceship? You can repair a crashed one planetside, or buy one from a fellow traveller.

Now, does that sound like enough? There’s a free play option that just allows you to roam the Galaxy at will just discovering new planets, systems and moons. You can rename them – I’m naming all mine after Man City players. Yaya is a desert world full of vast mountains.

If you’re after a higher purpose then there are two sort-of-story options. The ‘path of the Atlas’ is a quasi-mystical journey to unlock the secrets of long-dead alien races, or alternatively you can journey to the centre of the universe and see what’s there. I gather both endings are underwhelming, but NMS wouldn’t be the first good game let down by a lame ending. If you’ve got there, no spoilers please.

The moles verdict? The resource gathering, ship and suit upgrading is immensely enjoyable. It’s grinding – but there are plenty of games, Destiny and Minecraft chief amongst them, where grinding is the key game dynamic. Though the procedurally generated planets often through up duds, you can just boot up the ship and check the next one along. The trading system is pretty simplistic, though those of an intensely mercantile bent can play the market and amass enormous fortunes. Ground combat isn’t really a feature, unless you enjoy shooting animals. Far better to log your animal discoveries – another very satisfying process. It’s a vast and lonely universe out there – you have limited interaction with NPC’s but multi-player is definitely absent.

The space combat has been widely criticised, but I didn’t find it as bad as all that. It’s more Ace Combat than flight sim, and none the worse for that. There is one intensely annoying feature – the need to recharge your shield with resources mid-combat through the crafting menu. That is the only real duffer element of the game we’ve found.

So we love it out here in the sky, if crafting, grinding and upgrading is your thing then come on in. You do trade the immaculately finished environments of a Last of Us or Metal Gear Solid for a sense of infinite freedom and scale. Does standing on the top of a mountain watching the dawn rise on an alien world no-one but you will ever see attract you? Are you prepared to overlook some rough edges for the many unique ideas this game has?

It doesn’t deliver everything in the trailers, and the devs have learned the hard way that it might be better to underpromise and over deliver. If you like your games on rails, if you want a compelling storyline, if you’re all about killing things, it’s not the game for you. But if you ever looked at a Chris Foss cover and thought ‘I want to be there’ this is as close as you can get.

I have fond memories of Elite on the BBC Micro all those years ago. Nothing ever quite matched it for its sense of a genuine, living universe. (I mean nothing in my gaming lifetime, which lasted until about 1989).

You felt as if you could go anywhere and do anything – no mean feat for a bunch of blocky graphics crammed into 32K of memory.

I had a little go at No Mans Sky when my son bought it, intrigued by the comparisons with Elite. It didn’t draw me in in the same way. Maybe I’m just older.

Yes lots of the online commentaries have compared it to a 30-year old game. So in the modern gaming world I’ve not played Elite Dangerous, as it’s not on ps4 yet so can’t compare the two. If you’ve played Elite Dangerous would be interested in your views @vulpes-vulpes. Like NMS appears to have attracted a lot of pre-release hype and then flak.

A lot of the criticism about the game is about charging the same price for a game from an indie studio as one from EA. And that it’s got some bugs on release – as if big studios never release games that need patching….it’s frozen on me once in 20 hours of play.

I gave my thoughts on NMS on the thread Bargepole has copied above, but I just wanted to give my tuppence on Hello Games.

Basically: I wouldn’t go overboard with the plucky little indie developer stuff, because as much as I’m enjoying NMS (and I am – it’s delivered exactly what I hoped for), these guys seriously, seriously, seriously mis-sold this game.

I’m not talking about the odd overstatement or slip of the tongue. They routinely and brazenly touted game features that simply don’t exist. From in-game factions, to the ability to pursue careers, from variable gravity and planets which actually orbit suns, to the very existence of suns within the game; they lied and lied and lied. Hell, they told the world the game was multiplayer, and that it was possible (albeit unlikely) to meet other players; they’ve since admitted this to be nonsense.

The deception is so egregious that numerous platforms in the States have actually given unhappy consumers back their money, and the game’s user-base dropped 95% after the first week. Frankly, they’ll do well to escape a class action.

Some of the missing things are so tiny as to be meaningless. Others are so massive they make you wonder if the devs could ever have believed the words coming out of their own mouths.

As said above and elsewhere; I really, really, really like NMS, and none of the missing features really bother me. But I think it’s important to flag that (a) it’s definitely not the game it was advertised to be, or even the game shown in several of its own trailers; and (b) Hello Games are every bit as slippery and two-faced as a major studio, perhaps even more so. Maybe they’ll fix some of the more glaring omissions with patches, but without any real fiscal incentuive I kind of doubt it.

@bingo-little I didn’t follow the pre-release build up in detail, but its clear the devs were at my most charitable a bit naieve, a bit less charitably b++++t merchants in claiming features that 10 secs of gameplay would reveal to be impossible to achieve with the game as it is, such as any multiplayer. I’m glad you didn’t let all this put you off what is still a wondrous achievement. Post a review in the games section next time – it’s looking like a solo effort so far.

@bingo-little. Ok I gave this one time, lots of time. Lots of indulgence and goodwill. It’s run out now. There is a yawning void in this game where the actual gameplay, game objectives and any kind of accomplishment structure should be. Just as one example, like many other gamers I followed one of the key ‘story paths’ – a mystical ‘Path of the Atlas’. At the end of this story you have made one possible mistake hours back in the gameplay. Tough luck, you can’t end this path – just give up and go back to free exploration. No help in finding your missing stone…but – here’s the kicker – I had a quick look at Youtube and your reward for completing the quest is….well a little kick along the trail to another storypath. Not even an underwhelming cut scene. I mean even COD delivers those. It looks like a fantastic game, it sounds like a fantastic game, the procedural generation is fantastic, it just doesn’t have anything resembling gameplay. In fact the whole thing might be a philosophical commentary on the futility of gaming:

I’ve basically ended up playing it with my kids (aged nearly 3 and 6). They’re absolutely eating it up – it’s introduced them to all sorts of scientific concepts (the elements, black holes, acid rain, fuel, orbits, etc) and given then a first taste of science fiction – albeit a slightly boring science fiction that’s more about inventory management than intergalactic warfare or light sabers.

It’s basically perfect for little people because of the lack of threat and the ability to just wander round exploring endlessly, checking out weird animals and landscapes. And that makes it perfect for me, because we get to share some (fairly boring) adventures and all high five when we buy a new starship together. Plus, I love hearing my little boy telling his mates about plutonium.

I also kind of appreciate the game as a weird sort of meditation tool. It’s so resolutely unthrilling, and the landscapes are all so chill that throwing it on at the end of a hard day is weirdly relaxing.

Like I say, objectively it’s horrible, horrible game design. Subjectively, I’ve well and truly got my money’s worth, and I’m glad they made it. Plus, if someone with more cash/skill just takes this idea and bolts on the missing stuff (incident, basically), then I’ll be extremely excited to play the result.

Bingo you’ve inadvertently sold it in to me for the for the a. lack of threat and b. potential attractiveness of boring adventures with small children. On that kid-friendly basis, is there anything else you’d recommend for PS4 (as am eyeing up a console for Christmas from Mrs. ‘Wardo?)

@bingo-little after skipping it have gone back to Metal Gear Solid V – just endlessly crafted gameplay. 25 hrs in and barely half-way through. Some gruelling child soldier stuff to go with #quietgate though. ‘She breathes through her skin clothes would suffocate her’

I’ve heard lots of good things about the new MGS, but I’ve not yet played it.

I’m still heavily invested in NMS. Kids still obsessed with it, we have a decent size ship now and confidently taking down space pirates and looting planets. It’s incredibly repetitive and basic, but the little folks enjoy pootling around the planets looking at stuff, and every now and then we see a weird looking animal that makes them laugh out loud. No idea how much longer this will go on for.

Once they’re in bed, I’ve mainly been playing the new Pro Evolution Soccer, which is great, and trying to get into Witcher 3, which I’m massively struggling with. Not a fan of dialogue trees, and I’m discovering that I don’t really care about storylines in games.

I usually like to pick up a new game for the Xmas period. A copy of Watchdogs 2 landed on my desk yesterday, so I might give that a go. The one I have my eye on though is Final Fantasy XV, which releases at midnight tonight. Never been a fan of the series, but this one looks so unusual that I’m really tempted to give it a whirl – I sat in on a Q&A with the game’s creator back in the Summer and really dug his vision, the whole thing appears to be completely barmy.

Just finished Rise Of The Tomb Raider (good fun, better than Uncharted 4) so looking around for something else and trying not to get drawn back to Skyrim. I don’t think it’ll be the new Final Fantasy though. Four pretty boys driving around in a flash car for 200 hours? It’ll be like being at a One Direction video shoot.

I think it really depends on how old the kids are. Mine are still very little, so the Lego games go down pretty well (full disclosure: I work for the publisher of those games, but they are decent nonetheless). Minecraft is also a favourite.

Beyond that, I’m drawing a bit of a blank. I’ve heard good things about Doki Doki Universe, but not played it. Little Big Planet is also generally good fun.

I know! I gather the Witcher improves, but I’ve spent far, far, far too long walking around a medieval tavern asking the locals whether they’ve seen a woman who smells of gooseberries and lavender. I HAVE PRECIOUS LITTLE FREE TIME FOR GAMING, I DON’T WANT TO SPEND IT IN CONVERSATION – SHOW ME THE COOL STUFF!!

Thanks team. Super Mario Galaxy has been played through five times worn through two Wiis and multiple controllers, and about-to-turn-nine girl is smashing through it effortlessly. She’s also conquered Minecraft so I’m looking for somthing a little more involving for her. And I can’t touch her on Mario Kart…

Just watched that video @bingo-little. Looks good, but seems to focus more on the resource-gathering constraints of the initial game, rather than gameplay and missions and objectives. I guess your kids are representative of those who are enjoying the game most and encouraging hello to take it in the Minecraft In Space direction. Will definitely try it out though.

I can warmly recommend those Lego games. Perfect for younger kids and with some witty elements that will appeal to mums and dads who are watching or playing too. One gets the impression that the developers had a lot of fun creating them.

Here in the world of teen gaming (my son is 13), Overwatch is the undisputed Game of the Year. He bought it as soon as it came out and he is still very enthusiastic which is not typical of him. We really got value for money when we bought that.

And actually, as we’re on the subject, has something changed with regards to what you’re allowed to say during online play? I distinctly remember going online to play Killzone and hearing players yelling all kinds of abuse at each other. I was worried about my son going online for just this reason but happily it’s totally absent in Overwatch and Star Wars Battlefront. So I fired up my ancient copy of Killzone. No abuse. Is it now moderated? Have they clamped down?

Been a while since I’ve used voice chat in a game, but I don’t think there’s moderation or any filtering. A lot has to do with the game in question’s community – Halo, for example, was always notorious for drawing a crowd of angry, misunderstood teen Eminems who would happily spend days on end insulting one another’s mothers, gaming prowess and sexuality.

It’s possible that Overwatch and Battlefront draw less douchebags, and that the knobheads have simply moved on from Killzone – in my experience online play with older games can often be a lot better, because the angry kids have long since migrated to newer thrills, leaving the playing field to people who actually want to enjoy themselves.

Anecdotally, I hear that League of Legends, World of Tanks and Call of Duty are the places to go these days if you really want to cop an earful.

I’m also going to take this opportunity to link to a YouTube documentary called The Smash Brothers. It’s a couple of hours long and essays the evolution of one of the greatest gaming communities there’s ever been: Smash Bros Melee.